End of holiday baking: Eggnog fudge, buttered rum cookies and marshmallows

Christmas may be gone for the year, but looking back, I realize how much better it was than last year's. This year, I got to spend Christmas with family members absent of some pretty tough times. Last year, on the same day, my maternal grandmother died after living with Alzheimer's for years, and my paternal grandmother went to the hospital the same day. This year, I got to spend the holiday at my parents' house, not the hospital, with my stepsiblings in from Canada and my mom just visiting, not here for a funeral. And you know what? That makes Christmas pretty darn good.

I'm pretty much a holiday eggnog fanatic (see: eggnog cupcakes), so when it hits the shelves, I immediately buy some. This year has been a little different, though. I'm eating a lot healthier right now, and frankly, eggnog is terrible for you. So my compromise was this: make an eggnog dessert that tastes so much like the drink that I kill two birds with one stone. Enter eggnog fudge by Brown Eyed Baker. This will 100% become a new holiday tradition for me, because it tastes exactly how it should. It is so decadent, and as an added bonus, they made my apartment smell like yummy eggnog for hours.

My dad loves buttered rum, so I decided to try these buttered rum meltaways from Martha Stewart's Cookies book for his and my stepmom's holiday party a few days before Christmas. I made them far ahead of time and froze them into a roll of dough until just a few days before heading to Salina, so they were convenient in that sense. The jury's still out, though, on whether or not I'll make these again. They didn't taste too rummy or buttery, which I think they should considering their name. Hmm. Can't win them all, I guess.

Pretty sure I've inadvertently started a new holiday tradition for myself. Last year I gave my grandma's signature hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows to a few coworkers at my paper. This year, I did the same, only upping the ante to two flavors of marshmallows — vanilla (the green ones) and peppermint (the red ones) — and giving it to everyone at my office. So far, it seems to be a hit. That old Joy of Cooking marshmallow recipe sure is good. We'll see if I give the same gift next year!

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Pizzelles

I've never taken part in a cookie swap before. I'm thinking maybe I should put one together next year between me and my friends, because this one was so much fun. This month, with hundreds of other bloggers, I participated in:

Basically, a bunch of bloggers baked three dozen cookies and sent a dozen each to three different bloggers, none of whom knew who was sending to them. A Secret Santa of cookies, I suppose. Lindsay at Love and Olive Oil and Julie at The Little Kitchen put the swap together and are doing next year's as well, which I will gladly take part in.

It's hard for me to pick out a favorite cookie. But these cookies, pizzelles, are quintessential holiday cookies for me. My pseudo-grandma (she's the mother of my aunt through marriage who has been a grandmother to me) Mildred makes these every Christmas, and it was always super exciting when my uncle showed up with the old ice cream tub filled with these thin cookies. We don't get to see Mildred and that side of the family as often as I'd like anymore, and when I came across a pizzelle iron, I knew it would need to become my own cookie tradition.

As for the cookies I received, they were scrumptious. I got peanut butter cup cookie bars from Raenell at Raevyn's Nest; coconut chocolate chip cookies from Aaron at the Hungry Hutch; and cream cheese walnut cookies from Liz in Colorado (whose blog I have yet to find). All were amazing, and I'm trying my hardest not to eat them all at once!

I sent my cookies to three lovely ladies: Amanda over at MarocMama; Rebecca over at Peace, Love and Bagels; and Nadia at Cooking My Way to Healthy. I could tell when they received my cookies, because I got notifications they were suddenly following me on Twitter, and then we talked about cookies. Not too shabby! 

And you know what else is great? I instantly connected with these people. Amanda also has a family tradition of pizzelles, which I can best describe as waffle cone cookies, only SO much better. Mildred used to make them with anise, which is licorice flavoring. I hate licorice but always liked her cookies. Somehow, though, when I tried making them with anise once, they weren't as good. So I make mine vanilla or lemon. These were classic vanilla, and they're one of my favorites.

Mildred's Pizzelles

1 cup margerine (2 sticks) Use Fleishman's or any "no water added" brand (I actually used unsalted butter and they turned out fine)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. extract (Lemon or Anise work well) OR 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Melt margerine and let cool
2. Beat eggs thououghly until frothy
3. Add sugar gradually to eggs-beat well
4. SLOWLY add cooled margerine, beat well as you do so
5. Add extract or vanilla
6. Add flour---a little at a time and mix well after each addition
7. Chill dough---minimum of 2 hours, overnight or as much as several days to enrich flavors
8. Using a small cookie scoop bake cookies following Pizzelle maker directions--dough will be sticky. Cookies will be soft and flexible right off the baker.
9. Use cooling racks and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. These are best crispy, in my opinion, so it's not the end of the world if you leave them out for a while.

Spring has sprung! Raspberry crumble bars, spring bridal shower cupcakes and fortune cookies

It's been a year since I graduated college. It seems like so long ago Liz, Taylor and I were hanging out at his house with our families, celebrating four years, much of that time on the Kansan together. All parts of my family came together, a fairly rare occasion. Mostly, though, I was ready to be out of school. I do miss my college friends who have moved away, and the way the Kansan never failed to provide a few friends willing to go out to Louise's on a Thursday night for schooners. But that leaves room for wonderful reunions, whether they be in New York City with Mary, at the Sandbar with Erin and Jodi or during a baby shower at my house. I can't say I miss college, though. I might miss the occasional LNOP shenanigans, but the friends I made in college are still here, with none of the homework! I enjoy getting to go home and watch TV, bake, go to the gym, read or just be plain ol' lazy. So happy graduation, all, and enjoy the free time when you don't have to read a textbook by Judith Butler (circa my final poly sci class, Contemporary Feminist Political Theory).


The fortunes in these cookies come from people who could perhaps use a little extra schooling. I'm sure everyone has heard of Shit My Students Write, but just in case you haven't, go check it out. I've wanted to try fortune cookies for a while, but they're a bit intimidating. After all, you are taking a cookie right out of the oven and forming it with your bare hands. But they turned out tasty after a little trial-and-error. And they were nice reminders of what not to write in a high school term paper.

Between jobs, I had some time off to do nothing...which is pretty much what I did. I spent some time with Grandma, and then came back and baked with Aunt Betty. I'm excited that fruit is starting to come into season, especially berries. These raspberry crumble bars were a yummy way to taste summer. Pretty sure I could have just eaten the streusel by itself as dessert.

And in a final springy-summery dessert, I made these cupcakes for a bridal shower. I was to make vanilla cupcakes and key lime pie cupcakes, and the theme was spring, so these fit perfectly. I love how the wrappers look like petals, and I used a fondant cutter to make the flowers for the top. It was my first time with that thing, so I had to practice a bit, but I think they turned out well. I'd forgotten how much I love those key lime pie cupcakes...will have to make those again when it starts getting really hot! (Adding these to Hoosier Homemade's Cupcake Tuesday!)

Back to elementary school: Dirt 'n' worms cupcakes, plus vanilla bean pound cake and purple velvet cupcakes

I'm sure I've talked before about how I love old movies. So many of them are wonderful stories without having to blow shit up, like so many new movies do. I especially love watching them with my Grandma, for which they're just normal and not old. Last weekend, I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time. Yes, I know it's past Christmas. And no, I don't care. I think that movie sealed the deal for me too — Jimmy Stewart could very well be my favorite actor. He's so down-home and lovable in every movie, whether he's talking to a 6-foot-tall imaginary rabbit or a reporter. Seriously, if you've never seen a movie with him in it, go get one. Now. I recommend "The Philadelphia Story" or "Harvey."

I'd been itching to make this vanilla bean pound cake for weeks, and had never gotten around to it. When I visited Grandma, I decided to make it there. It's always a little interesting finding what I need there, because she doesn't really cook any more. It never fails, though, that when she sits out in the kitchen with me, she brings up her mom's mile-high angel food cake. Mmmm. This pound cake was pretty good, especially the glaze with amaretto in it.

Remember being in elementary school and for special parties you'd get dirt 'n' worms? I wanted to make that into a cupcake. The anatomy of one of these is as follows: Oreo on the bottom + my favorite chocolate cupcake + instant chocolate pudding for filling + fudge frosting + Oreo crumbles (via food processor) + a couple gummy worms = dirt 'n' worms cupcakes. They definitely weren't lacking in chocolate, but they were incredibly messy to eat. Guess that's the point of being a kid, eh?

My web editor at work, Whitney, is putting together a bridal shower for her brother's fiance. She asked me to make cupcakes, and that's what I did! The bride's colors are black and purple (I will try to not think about what state school those go with). I got my favorite baking cups from Bake It Pretty and made purple velvet cupcakes. Pretty snazzy!

First baking goal achieved: souffle, plus farmyard cake pops, Kansas day cake and potato chip cookies

When I was in school, my friends would often poke fun at me for how often I traveled (among many other things). Fall break, winter break, spring break, summer break. I wouldn't go somewhere every break, but pretty darn close. Chicago multiple times, Vegas a couple, NYC, Arizona, California (attempted but derailed by the airlines), Texas, Memphis, etc. I know it sounds super expensive to do all that, but to me, it's incredibly important to take time away from work and spend money on things I know will make me relaxed and that I will enjoy.


After not really traveling since last July (and that was a bit of a train wreck of a trip), I'm itching to get away. First up: Chicago. In a couple weeks I will be strolling down Michigan Avenue, probably in freezing cold weather and a bit (I hope only a bit!) of snow, but I can't wait. On the list of things to do: a cupcake crawl. Kelly is going up there with me and we're hanging out with Megan the whole time. My mom is coming down to meet us for a day too. I'm so excited to get back up to one of my favorite cities!


So last Monday I was off because I switched a shift (and taped Jayni's Kitchen — it's on next Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m.!), so I went to Aunt Betty's to bake. On the list was one of my baking goals, souffle. It was out of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," only the second recipe I've made from there (after the chocolate almond cake that was so darn good). We made plain ol' vanilla, but it was darn good. It rose like it was supposed to and was an excellent dessert.


I was also jonesing to make some cake pops. I've made plenty of plain ol' round ones, but I was ready to branch out and start decorating them. I went with the barnyard animals of cows and pigs. The cows looked a little goofy I think, but the pigs were really cute. I just thought this picture was funny.


I wrote about this the other day, but a quick update: for Kansas Day I made a cake and a how-to video. Yellow cake with fudge icing and chocolate sunflower seeds. I will most definitely be using that icing recipe again...so good!


And last, another recipe I made for work for a story Sarah was writing. These are potato chip cookies, and they're just as weird as they sound. They're an interesting mix of salty and sweet and don't really spread, but they seemed to be a big hit in the newsroom.

Photo credits: cake photo taken by Richard Gwin, cookie photo taken by Mike Yoder

Three sweets and a shift

Sometimes, when I write this blog, I have a hard time remembering what's been going on during the last week. I find myself measuring my days in the crime or accidents I've covered while working my job, or the stories I've written recently. Or friends who have visited. My friend Taylor and I haven't had corresponding days off since graduating, until last week. It was nice to catch up with him, and go out for my friend Tim's birthday as well. Also, last Tuesday was my Aunt Betty's birthday. Which meant baking, of course!


See, when I have a couple days off, I tend to go over there and bake for hours on end. Generally it's stuff that's a bit harder than I try on my own, because she's done so much more than me. One of those things is the Joy of Cooking angel food cake. I've never made one before — it took 11 egg whites! Can you believe that? It seems it's basically a meringue with enough flour mixed in to make it a cake. Aunt Betty wanted a birthday cake, and this was it. A lemon glaze on top, and it was super tasty.


Also on the list was using the cookie press she got me for my birthday. The pumpkin shape seemed like a good place to start, you know, with the fall season and all. It's basically a sugar almond cookie extruded through a sort of gun-type thing. Once we figured out how to work it (after a couple YouTube videos) we were good to go! I'm thinking these will make good Christmas gifts later, with red- and green-tinted dough and the Christmas tree shape.


Later in the week, I worked dayside and got some awesome news — I got switched to an earlier shift! No more vampire living for me. Except that's not entirely true, since I'm up writing this at like 5:30 a.m. Maybe I still have some adjusting to do. Anyway, it means more writing and multimedia, which is exactly the kind of stuff I like doing. The other day I got to write about a former dairy farm that is being renovated for use by KU, which is totally my type of thing. I love old family histories like that. I've got another historical story coming up, and I'm pretty excited to work on it!


Point is, my shift came about because of a larger shift in our company. It's being restructured, and Friday was my last day working with some of my coworkers. So we celebrate with cupcakes, of course! Kelly helped me make the cupcakes, which we made half chocolate and half yellow to signify the split. Okay, I have to admit, I used boxed mix for the yellow. It's the first time I've used boxed mix for a cupcake in I don't know how long, but I was fricking exhausted and didn't want to go back to the store for a measly carton of buttermilk. So I used the box. Whatever. Anyway, I think they turned out cute, what with the Halloween decorations.


So now I'm off to finish the rest of my new work week, filled with interviews and hopefully fewer car wrecks (it's been a crazy couple week with those). Oh, one last thing, I saw the bar band for the first time ever on Wednesday at the Sandbar. It's a group of guys who play a bunch of typical band songs and the KU fight song and all that, and it was great. Too bad our football team totally blew it the next day. But it did make me excited for two things: 1) basketball season and 2) my friends visiting for the upcoming KU vs. Colorado game. Who cares if we'll probably lose? I get to tailgate! Woo hoo!

Michigan and lake baking (2 of 8 goals met)

It’s been a fairly long week, well, couple weeks. I’ve had a major life change, which has taken most of my time lately. Not that I haven’t been baking, but I haven’t had time to write. Today I’m coming home from Michigan, where I was visiting my mother a couple days. On the upside (I guess), work has been picking up. It was slow all last week, until Saturday night, when all the crime that was waiting to happen, happened. Oh, and other big news, I made it onto Foodgawker and Tastespotting for the first time EVER a couple weeks ago! I came home and my hits had jumped by the hundreds, and I thought Google Analytics was wrong. Nope, it wasn’t, and I was super duper excited! Now, to keep getting pictures up there.


Before all this stuff happened, though, I visited my dad and stepmom out on the lake. He got an awesome new boat and it was a good couple of days away. My friend Sarah gave me some vegan recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World to try, so I decided that for the lake, s’mores cupcakes would work out. This was my second venture into vegan cupcake-making, the first being for Sarah’s birthday. This was definitely a little bit more difficult. One of the main sweeteners in the cake was molasses, and frankly, I dislike that strong a flavor. More graham cracker crumbs and that was fixed. Vegan buttercream was also an experiment (especially when the vegan shortening misspelled carefully as “carefulyl”). Ultimately, though, they were tasty, and a great addition at camp.


Last week, I had an intense baking/dinner session with Aunt Betty. Three desserts in about three hours, plus meeting a new kitty cat — definitely a highlight! The first was a tray of cheesecake brownies, a request from my friend Jon at work (I love requests — they keep things interesting!). This will be one of the first desserts I didn’t get a picture of because they were gone so quickly at work. They were super easy and from one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Maybe I’ll make them again this week. Also on the list was a recipe I heard one morning — or afternoon, however you look at it — when I woke up. Sometimes I leave the Food Network on while I sleep, and Sunny Anderson’s show was on. She had a recipe for apple pound cake, and it looked super tasty. The picture is what apple pound cake looks like after the newsroom has had some :)


The third item was my first stab at macarons, my second try at a baking goal. Aunt Betty and I used actual almonds ground up in a food processor, and we left them sort of chunky. Apparently you have to be careful not to process them too much or you’ll get almond butter. Anyway, French macarons are these almond-based cookies that are basically a meringue, so it’s too humid almost every day in Kansas, except for this one. These were eaten immediately, and oh-so-good.


Now, in Michigan, I tried making them with almond flour, pre-ground and much finer. I don’t think I’ll try making them again any time soon — a bag was $12.50! Anyway, I’m not sure I have the whole egg-white-whipping thing down, so it might be a while before I make lemon meringue pie. Here, I made two varieties — vanilla with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, and chocolate with either maple Swiss meringue buttercream or vanilla buttercream. They’re super yummy, but I’m not sure they’re worth all the effort. At least until I get better at them.


I also wanted to make cupcakes while in Michigan, so I made cookies and cream cupcakes I’ve had my eye on. There’s half an Oreo (with cream) in the bottom, plus a super heavy vanilla batter with coarsely chopped Oreos mixed in. Cream cheese icing and the other Oreo half on top, and we’ve got ourselves a tasty cupcake. Let’s just say, Mom’s got a fridge-full of desserts.


So now, I just need something to look forward to. I’m one of those people who needs a long-term goal, even if that’s my birthday (which is a month and a week away!). I actually will get to go out on a Saturday night – woo hoo! I hope to enjoy some shark attacks (like in this photo from my last bday, with one of my best friends Erin). Beyond that, it’s time to figure out some new things to look forward to.